


dancing girls, and enough beer to float your coffin to valhalla

by amleth



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Black Mirror Episode: s03e04 San Junipero, F/F, Groundhog Day, Implied/Referenced Terrorism, Suicidal Thoughts, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:50:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21991471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amleth/pseuds/amleth
Summary: Homura lives in Japan. Madoka does not. Homura gets twenty-five hours with her before Walpurgisnacht.
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
Kudos: 7





	dancing girls, and enough beer to float your coffin to valhalla

They meet in the present. Homura hasn't seen much outside of her hospital room.

Five weeks later, Madoka flies into Mitakihara. The hospital set it up. With seriously ill patients, it's not unusual. Madoka's parents had always planned to take her to Japan someday.

They've just ordered lunch when Walpurgisnacht arrives.

She says, “I’m so sorry, Homura-chan.”

She says, “I think this is what's supposed to happen.”

She says, “I’m glad I got to meet you, Homura-chan.”

Homura had known about Madoka's powers, the incubator who'd followed her to school. Europe had seemed like a magical place.

Homura learns there are incubators in Japan, too.

.

Homura finds her in the 90's. Drags her off the dance floor and yells over an NSYNC song that she's a magical girl, too.

Madoka fidgets with her plaid skirt and scribbles her number on a piece of paper.

They get Walpurgisnacht together and Kriemhild Gretchen swallows the city whole.

.

Madoka comes to Japan three weeks in, gives them ample time to prepare. Albertine pulls her soul gem off her chest and spits it out at the edge of the barrier.

Madoka drops to the floor. Albertine cries and cries, shakes her like a rag doll. Kyuubey is mid-explanation when Homura rewinds.

She only visits San Junipero once the next timeline, to warn Madoka about Kyuubey.

Madoka does not, will never hear her. She comes for Walpurgisnacht, mistakes Homura for a civilian in her pigtails and cherry glasses. She shields Homura from an errant window and is sliced in two.

.

Sayaka isn't always with her, but when she is, Madoka goes to the electronics store first. Sayaka makes some variant of a moe joke, leans against the Blu-rays or the iPods or the radios with false ease, and gives a “known Madoka since—” spiel.

Homura recognizes him from the hospital. He idles in the classical music, hand opening and closing at his side. Sayaka is gone and Madoka and Homura are alone and Homura thinks, oh.

Later, Homura will place a bomb in the electronics store, will sneak into Kamijo’s hospital room and cut off his access to San Junipero.

Sayaka will contract for an about-to-be-killed-by-a-witch Madoka, who will contract for an about-to-turn-witch Sayaka. Oktavia will materialize a week later and Homura will tell her, you were right, you know. Only one of us can love her.

.

Mami becomes a player somewhere in the three digits. Mami, the full-timer with her own apartment above the lighting shop. Mami whose every other word is French. Mami who can bake a better cake than even Madoka's mama.

The first time Homura meets her, it's 1890 and her corset hides little.

Homura sits in an upholstered chair that dwarfs her and nods politely as Mami spouts facts that her Madoka, the first one, already gave her. Homura is still in pigtails then and reminds Mami to talk about familiars, proud of her memory.

Mami smiles blandly.

A week later, Madoka is killed by a witch with hands for feet. Mami decorates her guest room.

“It'll be better this way,” Mami assures her, “without a body to get hurt.”

Homura considers her own body. She left it on a white sheet, with tubes sticking out.

Madoka is on a white sheet, now, too, her pink hair dull against it.

Homura invents a doctor's appointment and doesn't turn to Mami again.

.

They claim a table in a 50's bowling alley. Her, Madoka, Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. They split root beer floats, swap stories about witches, offer to mail grief seeds.

Only Madoka and Sayaka know each other in real life. Sayaka reminds them of this often.

The third week, Mami doesn't show. There's a newscast about a glitch on San Junipero, buildings disappearing in a mass of yellow and black pixels. They don't make the connection.

The fourth week, Madoka comes alone. Sayaka became a witch in school yesterday, she says. They're all going to become witches. She's _so_ sorry she dragged them into this and did they want to share one last root beer float for old time's sake?

Homura begs for a flight out to Europe. Tells the nurses she always wanted to see Big Ben, doesn't know if she'll get another chance.

She arrives in time to see Madoka mercy-kill Oktavia.

Madoka throws up. Homura holds her hair back, holds her gun out of reach.

They fly back to Japan together and Walpurgisnacht gets Madoka anyway.

.

Homura was the one to bring Kyoko in. They'd met in the 40's. Sayaka had just died and Madoka was a day away from turning into a witch, but Homura didn't know that, yet. She just knew it was bad.

Kyoko had taken one look at Homura and said, “Let me buy you food. Sit. Can you sit?”

They'd split a plate of eggs in a diner with seats so small that Homura almost fell off. She learned Kyoko lived a couple towns over, was relieved Kyoko didn't pressure her to meet up.

Homura didn't see Kyoko again that timeline. She doesn't realize Kyoko's a magical girl until later.

When Kyoko puts a gun to Madoka's head, puts a gun to Madoka's head because Mami wanted _out_ and Madoka pulled her back _in_ and now Mami's _a goddamn witch_ , Homura remembers Kyoko with egg yolk dripping down her chin.

Homura wishes she had thrown the plate in her face.

She wishes she had kept Madoka all to herself.

.

Homura flies out to Europe as soon as she wakes up. Forges papers for Madoka's school, follows her home and shoots Kyuubey, shoots Kyuubey, shoots Kyuubey before he can get to her.

Junko catches her with a gun in their yard and Homura is gone by the time the police arrive.

Madoka recognizes Homura from the police sketch and runs backward, into Walpurgisnacht's palm.

.

Homura walks into an airport with a pipe bomb in full view.

Madoka wishes for world peace and takes the train to keep it.

.

Homura doesn't visit San Junipero for a whole timeline.

Madoka learns about Walpurgisnacht through the news and introduces herself to Homura from a burning building.

.

Madoka dies. Homura knows this because Kriemhild Gretchen shows up on the news.

.

Madoka dies. Homura knows this because Kriemhild Gretchen shows up in San Junipero.

.

Madoka dies. Homura knows this because Madoka's parents mail her a handwritten note.

.

Madoka dies. Homura knows this because Sayaka slams her into a VHS display, says Homura knew this would happen, says Homura's on some mission to eliminate magical girls isn't she, says Homura's probably not even really a fourteen-year-old girl, says she knows where Homura lives.

.

It takes Homura four weeks to meet her. She finds her dancing the foxtrot with her soul on her chest and snaps, how could you, you're dead, you're dead, you're as good as dead—

Hitomi laughs nervously. Puts a hand on Madoka's shoulder.

She's asking if they can leave, right now.

Madoka still sees the newscast, still sacrifices herself for Homura, and there's nothing Homura can do to turn her into a person who won't.

.

She asks Kyuubey what would happen if she passed over.

She's gonna rewind anyway, Madoka's blood is drying at her feet, so she tells him everything.

He starts, “As far as I know, no magical girl with powers like yours has passed on to San Junipero before—”

I don't suppose they were told to make arrangements in the event of their death, Homura thinks.

“So, I can't say for certain, but since your souls have already been conveniently removed from your bodies, I would guess that destroying your physical body and letting your soul pass over to San Junipero would not stop you from turning back time and recovering your body. However, given your past failures, I fail to see—”

Homura throws him and the rest of his sentence off the bridge.

It was a senseless question. Minors can't sign themselves over and the nuns don't like it, so neither do Homura's parents.

The smell of blood is strong, is in her lungs. She reaches for her gun—

Lets it fall back into its holster, then rewinds.


End file.
